Reading to Accompany this post:
Chapter 13 “Youth on Land” from Farming While Blackby Leah Penniman
I have spent a pretty good chunk of my time at Hanover learning about sustainable farming and the impact farming has on Indiana. Whether through a class called Geography of the Spirit my freshman year where I was first introduced to Wendell Berry and Harland Hubbard, or through Environmental Philosophy where I read works by Aldo Leopold and David Abrams, I have been surrounded by texts where people beautifully articulate their connections with the earth. While the experiences vary, they always seem to be linked by a motivation to protect the planet that provides these moments of clarity.
These works of literature have been integral throughout my process of finding and learning about things I am passionate about. While I was deeply affected by their words, this summer it has become clear to me that that isn’t enough. It’s an amazing first step, but it needs to be followed by some sort of action. When writing about her experience giving kids from the city a tour of her farm, Penniman says “the spoken content of the tour was nearly drowned out in deference to the more compelling tactile experience of land connection.” I experienced a feeling similar to this during my time at Nightfall Farm.
There is such a big difference between reading about a process and actually going through it. You start to understand the intricacies in a way you couldn’t before. Even the most descriptive of writing leaves room for personal interpretation, and I found that it is so important to experience something on an individual level instead of just on a second-hand level.
This chapter of Penniman’s guide to farming focuses a lot on the importance of having young people experience nature for themselves. Penniman writes, “we need nature not just for the material sustenance she provides, but for our physiological, emotional, and spiritual wellbeing. Spending time in nature, particularly free play on uneven ground, reduces stress, social anxiety, depression, disease, and impulsivity, and increases concentration, creativity, conflict management skills, agility, balance, academic performance, eyesight, and life satisfaction.” This immediately reminded me of Hanover’s campus and how essential it is in the wellbeing of the students. To see such beautiful aspects of nature just through a walk on campus is such a gift. This summer felt a lot like that to me. It was the feeling of being stuck in class all day and then walking outside. The shift from fluorescents to sunshine.
I spent a lot of time in my house when we first got sent home for quarantine. Then, I spent even more time sitting inside and reading about the outdoors. It offered me a sort of freedom, but it was only when the weather cleared and I began to spend time outside that the feeling of being stuck began to fade. When it came time for me to go to the farm, I started spending twelve hours a day outside. Instead of listening to music on my phone, the birds chirped and made new tunes. Instead of watching TV, I learned to watch the sun streak across the sky. Instead of a podcast, I had Liz and Nate telling me stories of the lives they have lived. It was amazing.
One thing I have learned both by being young and by experiencing a lot of life through reading is that this can result in some serious imposter syndrome. For one, when you are twenty-something, you are in this weird in-between period. You aren’t quite considered an adult, but you’re still expected to have your life together more than you did in high school. This isn’t so different from learning in classrooms. They are such amazing starting points, but they never gave me the confidence I earned by actually doing the things I had researched, read, and learned about. By spending a small piece of my summer on the farm, I was able to step out of this imposter shadow, at least a little bit. I would be lying if I said I don’t still feel hints of that. When I’m explaining my internship to people, it’s hard not to feel like I’m defending myself. Like I’m proving to them that this was worthwhile and that I came out more informed and able to explain the things I care about. But, maybe the fact that I even have something to defend and explain proves how much I have grown through this process. I have learned through words, through conversations, and most importantly, through putting my hands into the earth and experiencing these things first hand.